World Tour - Decriminalizing abortion in Africa

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere.

Hong Kong anniversary—We begin today in Hong Kong.

AUDIO: [Celebration music]

Hong Kong marked the 25th anniversary of its handover from Britain without the usual freedom rallies and protests. Instead, Chinese authorities tightened security ahead of the day and warned the few remaining opposition groups in the territory against protesting.

This year’s anniversary marks the mid-way point of the 50-year agreement approved by China and Britain that created the “two systems, one country” policy..

China’s President Xi Jinping attended the two-day celebration in his first visit off the mainland since the pandemic began.

XI: [Speaking in Mandarin]

Xi said Hong Kong has emerged victorious from the fire of its recent challenges.

He also inaugurated the city’s new government led by John Lee. Lee formerly served as a security chief who oversaw the police response to the territory’s protests in 2019.

Flooding threat in Sydney—Next, to Australia, where heavy rainfall in Sydney has prompted evacuations.

AUDIO: [Ongoing rescue efforts]

Authorities have asked more than 50,000 residents in the Sydney suburbs to evacuate. Days of heavy rainfall caused dams to overflow and waterways to spill over their banks. Strong winds also toppled trees and blocked road access in some areas.

Dominic Perrottet is the New South Wales Premier.

PERROTTET: To see what we're seeing right across Sydney, there's no doubt these events are becoming more common and governments need to respond and adjust to the changing conditions we find ourselves in.

The latest rainfall marks the fourth, and possibly worst, round of flooding in Sydney in less than a year and a half.

U.S.-Africa military exercises wrap up—We head over to Africa, where the United States and a dozen other countries wrapped up a military operation in the southern Moroccan desert.

AUDIO: [Tank explosion]

More than 7,500 service members took part in the second annual “African Lion” war games. It included operations in Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia. Israel joined the partner countries for the first time.

General Stephen J. Townsend, who leads the U.S. Africa Command, said this year’s training comes as violent extremism rises across Western Africa. He also pointed at the growing presence of malign actors, such as the Russian mercenary group known as Wagner.

AUDIO: [Music playing at ECOWAS summit]

Meanwhile, West African leaders on Sunday also called for stronger action against the growing insurgency in the region.

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo is also chair of the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.

AKUFO-ADDO: These terrorist attacks are now not only focusing on the Sahel but also expanding to coastal states in our region.

Sierra Leone seeks to decriminalize abortion— Finally, we end today in Sierra Leone.

AUDIO: [Crowd cheering]

The government has approved a draft law that would see the small West African nation decriminalize abortion.

President Julius Maada Bio made the announcement during the 10th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in the capital city of Freetown.

BIO: My government has unanimously approved the safe motherhood bill. This bill will include a range of critical provisions to ensure the health and dignity of all girls and women of reproductive age in this country.

Parliament will still debate and vote on the bill.

Sierra Leone’s abortion law dates back to pre-independence in 1861 and bans the procedure unless the mother’s life is at risk. The country also has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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